Romans 13:2-12

2 Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.

3 For ¹rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same;

4 for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an ²avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.

5 Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also ³for conscience' sake.

6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing.

7 ⁴Render to all what is due them: ⁵tax to whom tax is due; ⁶custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.

8 Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for ⁷he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.

9 For this, "⁸YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, YOU SHALL NOT MURDER, YOU SHALL NOT STEAL, YOU SHALL NOT COVET," and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, "⁹YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF."

10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore ¹⁰love is the fulfillment of the law.

11 Do this, knowing the time, that it is ¹¹already the hour for you to ¹²awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed.

12 ¹³The night is almost gone, and ¹⁴the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside ¹⁵the deeds of darkness and put on ¹⁶the armor of light.

Romans 13:2-12 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO ROMANS 13

The principal things contained in this chapter, enjoined the saints, are the duties of subjection to magistrates, love to one another, and to all men, and temperance and chastity in themselves: it begins with duties relating to the civil magistrates, requiring obedience of everyone unto them, Ro 13:1, and that for these reasons, because the civil magistracy, or government, is by divine appointment; wherefore to obey them in things of a civil nature, is to obey God; and to resist them is to resist God; and also because of the pernicious consequence of such resistance, damnation to themselves, Ro 13:2, for the magistrate not only causes terror by penal laws, but he inflicts punishment on delinquents, and is the executioner of God's wrath and vengeance on such, Ro 13:3,4, and likewise because of the profit and advantage to obedient subjects; such not only have the good will and esteem of their rulers, and are commended by them, but are defended and protected in their persons and properties, Ro 13:3,4, moreover, the apostle enforces the necessity of subjection to them, not only in order to avoid punishment, but to answer a good conscience; this duty being according to the light of nature, and the dictates of a natural conscience; which if awake, must be uneasy with a contrary behaviour, Ro 13:5, and for the same reason he urges the payment of tribute to them, as well as on account of the reasonableness of it, taken from magistrates spending their time, and using their talents, in an attendance on the service of the public, Ro 13:6, and which is further confirmed by the general rule of justice and equity, or of doing that which is just and right to everyone, of which particulars are given, Ro 13:7, and then after a general exhortation to pay all sorts of debts owing to superiors, inferiors, or equals, the apostle passes to the debt of love owing to one another, and to all mankind; which is exhorted to on this consideration, that the performance of it is a fulfilling the law, Ro 13:8, which is proved, by showing that the several precepts of the law, of which an enumeration is given, are reducible to, and are included in love to our neighbours as ourselves, Ro 13:9, and since it is the nature of love not to work ill, but to do good to the neighbour, the conclusion follows, that it must be as asserted, that love is the fulfilment of the law, and ought by all means to be attended to, as a principal duty of religion, Ro 13:10, next the apostle proceeds to exhort the saints to a watchful, chaste, sober, and temperate course of life; as being perfectly agreeable to the privileges they enjoyed, to the present condition they were in, and to that future state of happiness they were in expectation of: he exhorts to be watchful and sober, and not indulge sleep and slothfulness, in consideration of the time in which they were, and with which they were acquainted, it being not night, but day; at least the one was wearing off, and the other coming on; the time of life being short, and the day of salvation approaching nearer and nearer, Ro 13:11,12, wherefore such actions should be done, as are agreeable to the day, and not the night, to light, and not darkness; and particularly such works of darkness are dissuaded from, which are contrary to temperance and sobriety, as rioting, and drunkenness; and to chastity, as chambering: and wantonness; and to peace and concord, as strife and envying, which frequently follow upon the former: and the chapter is concluded with an exhortation to faith in Christ, and an imitation of him, expressed in a figurative way by a metaphor, taken from the putting on of garments; and with a dehortation from an immoderate provision for the flesh, so as to promote, excite, and cherish, the lusts of it, Ro 13:13.

Cross References

• 1. 1 Peter 2:14
• 2. 1 Thessalonians 4:6
• 3. Ecclesiastes 8; 1 Peter 2:13, 19
• 4. Matthew 22:21; Mark 12:17; Luke 20:25
• 5. Luke 20:22; Luke 23:2
• 6. Matthew 17:25
• 7. Matthew 7:12; Matthew 22:39; John 13:34; Romans 13:10; Galatians 5:14; James 2:8
• 8. Exodus 20:13f; Deuteronomy 5:17f
• 9. Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 19:19
• 10. Matthew 7:12; Matthew 22:39; John 13:34; Romans 13:8; Galatians 5:14; James 2:8
• 11. 1 Corinthians 7:29; 1 Corinthians 10:11; James 5:8; 1 Peter 4:7; 2 Peter 3:9, 11; 1 John 2:18; Revelation 1:3; Revelation 22:10
• 12. Mark 13:37; 1 Corinthians 15:34; Ephesians 5:14; 1 Thessalonians 5:6
• 13. 1 Corinthians 7:29; 1 Corinthians 10:11; James 5:8; 1 Peter 4:7; 2 Peter 3:9, 11; 1 John 2:18; Revelation 1:3; Revelation 22:10
• 14. Hebrews 10:25; 1 John 2:8; Revelation 1:3; Revelation 22:10
• 15. Ephesians 5:11
• 16. 2 Corinthians 6:7; 2 Corinthians 10:4; Ephesians 6:11, 13; 1 Thessalonians 5:8

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit "he who"
• [b]. Lit "good work"
• [c]. Lit "the other"
• [d]. Lit "works no evil"
• [e]. Or "our salvation is nearer than when"